View on Vintage Designs from Three Fashion Experts

View on Vintage Designs from Three Fashion Experts

March 6, 2015 by Mary Curtis in

If the assertion is true that historical past does repeat itself, then vogue, in all senses of the phrase, can be a responsible occasion. We know immediately that vogue designers all through historical past have persistently turned to earlier eras for inspiration. The outcomes of this creativity is seen on the runways and the purple carpet every season. In the previous couple of years, we’ve seen an elevated need by the lots to put on classic designs. Although there has at all times been an appreciation for its glorious high quality, material and design, the attention, demand, and acceptance of classic clothes has elevated dramatically for the reason that early 1990s.

This enhanced curiosity could be due partly to elevated visibility, as classic clothes has been worn commonly by iconic fashions and celebrities. There has additionally been an elevated need to embrace a sustainable life-style by way of reusing, recycling and repairing relatively than disposing of things. Vintage clothes, for the primary time, has been acknowledged as a tangible asset, which suggests it would retain a direct financial worth.

With the Pier Antique Show simply across the nook on March 28-29, I wished to discover the subject of classic clothes additional by interviewing three classic clothes sellers who can be exhibiting on this 12 months’s Fashion Alley on the present. We mentioned their vogue background, present enterprise, distinctive clientele, and in the event that they imagine that yesterday’s vogue developments will attraction to immediately’s shoppers.

1940s Fashion

Lofty Vintage (Booth No. 2253)For almost twenty years, Andrea Hall Levy, proprietor of Lofty Vintage, has been honing her mixed expertise as a purchaser, vendor, stylist, and businesswoman. A local New Yorker, Levy has been captivated by classic fashions since her teenagers. This fascination led her to acquiring a level from Parsons School of Design, a personal school which has educated a number of the most famous and progressive designers. After commencement, Levy traveled throughout U.S. and Europe to collect iconic examples of vogue all through the a long time. By the 1990s, she had made the transition to promoting.

Today, Levy has amassed an intensive assortment of classic clothes and accessories in her 2,000 sq. foot warehouse in Yonkers. This contains clothes with designer labels in addition to a wide range of equipment akin to jewellery, hats, purses, footwear, scarves, and gloves. Working day by day along with her various clientele, she lives by the mantra, If I don’t like it, I don’t purchase it. “My customers are more interested in the quality and design of each piece, which is what I look for in every item that I choose,” she says. Her shoppers vary from Broadway and movie representatives to nationwide and worldwide designers to classic clothes fans.

Levy has additionally develop into an essential face at exhibitions and exhibits all through the Northeast. The Pier Antique Show is an occasion she persistently displays at 12 months after 12 months. “I’ve been exhibiting in Fashion Alley at the Pier Antique Show for the past 10 years. I especially love the social aspect of the show, which has a reputation for bringing new customers with a wide range of interests. Unlike other strictly vintage clothing shows in which I participate, the Pier Show attracts a distinct clientele from around the world whose interests often go far beyond fashion.”

1950s Mens Fashion

Barbara Kennedy & Co. (Booth No. 2160)Barbara Kennedy turned her love for classic clothes right into a profitable lifelong profession. “I’ve been buying vintage since college because I’ve always had an immense passion for it.” Says Kennedy, who graduated from the Fashion Institute of New York in 1962 and immediately runs an organization of her personal namesake, “After graduation, I worked in the lingerie business then opened my first business in the mid-1960s. After I got married, I opened my second business, Bouncing Bertha’s Banana Blanket, with my first husband, Richard, in the 1970s. We also started Richard and Barbara Kennedy’s Lifestyle located on East 57th Street between Park and Madison Avenue. We sold vintage clothing and custom made clothing.”

As a eager businesswoman, Kennedy has bought to a wide variety of shoppers. “I have customers that work in the theatre and in the movies as well as general retail customers. My clients come from all across the country.” She additionally talked about working with individuals from Seventh Avenue in New York City. Seventh Avenue is sometimes called Fashion Avenue attributable to its position as a middle of the garment and vogue business. It’s additionally heralded by world famend vogue designers who established New York City as a world vogue capital. For tv and theatre, Kennedy has labored on Boardwalk Empire for 5 years in addition to theatre productions, akin to White Christmas and at present, Doctor Zhivago. “My collection ranges from 1900s-early 1970s. I sell to both men and women.”

Although Kennedy has diminished the variety of exhibits that she displays at yearly, the Pier Antique Show is an occasion she by no means misses. “I’ve been exhibiting with the Pier Antique Show since the before the mid-1990s. The show has a great draw with a variety of different people in attendance. I really like it in comparison to other events of the same caliber.” Kennedy additionally famous the spring season is on her thoughts for the March Pier Show, notably after the chilly winter the Northeast has skilled. “I’ll be bringing bright colored vintage clothing and accessories to the show,” she exclaims.

1960s Fashion

Walker’s Collectibles (Booth No. 2252)Vintage vogue peaked Carol Walker’s curiosity when she was a younger teenager. “When I was in high school, I would go to auctions with my friends and I developed an interest for beaded and mesh bags.” Then her attraction grew right into a love for classic clothes, “I would also go to thrift stores to look at the clothes. My mom had a few pieces in her wardrobe from the 1940s. I really enjoyed admiring them.”

After highschool, she attended retail faculty to review vogue. Fast ahead to immediately, Walker runs her personal classic clothes enterprise, Walker’s Collectibles, the place she will reignite her ardour for classic designs day by day. “Clothes have always been my specialty. Plus, it’s something my husband and I enjoy doing together.”

The hottest objects Walker sells are items her shoppers can put on day by day. “The clothing from the 1940s-60s is very popular because they’re items people can wear to their job or out on the weekends. However, I have many clients that work in the theatre industry and are drawn to clothing from the early 1900s. It depends on what the client is looking for and what they will be using it for.” Walker can be stunned by her shoppers’ data of the newest developments. “Our clients really keep up on the fashion industry. Much of what is seen of the runways today is a throwback to vintage designs. Clients are now interested in owning the original piece.”

Since almost its inception, Walker has been a staple vendor on the Pier Antique Show. “I always look forward to seeing the attendees at the show. They’re really excited about the collections and we have made a lot of really good friends over the years. The Pier Show gives shoppers the opportunity to touch and hold the clothing whereas you would be unable to do that shopping online. The customer is able to get exactly what they want by seeing it in person.” At the upcoming present, Walker can be showcasing an array of recent merchandise from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Marc Jacob Spring 2015

Insights on Today’s Fashion TrendsWith the current conclusion of award season and New York’s vogue week, I additionally need to share the opinions of our classic vogue consultants on 4 of the most popular spring vogue developments — army greens, menswear, sheer materials, and all white. Each of them detailed which developments they thought would acquire probably the most momentum this season.

“After suffering through this long cold, dreary winter, I feel the appeal of clean, crisp white will be very popular,” says Levy. Kennedy and Walker agree, “People will be ready to embrace all white and sheer fabrics.”

Kennedy additionally acknowledged that army greens are a staple in people’ wardrobes as a result of cameo could be very well-liked. “Fashion is very cyclical. Some of the clothes showcased on the runway this season were a vintage design with a modern flair,” she says. Walker complemented Kennedy’s remarks by saying, “People are drawn to the neutral, green and beige color palettes, which fits the military trend.”

Don’t overlook to take a look at every of those sellers on the Pier Antique Show! Show occasions are 10 a.m. to six p.m. and admission is $20, which is legitimate for reentry each present days. Children below 16 are free when accompanied by an grownup. For extra info, go to www.PierAntiqueShow.com.